Adjust your clocks

Change batteries in smoke detectors

LIMA — With the change back to Eastern Standard Time at 2 a.m. Sunday, it’s a good time to set our clocks back one hour. Remember the saying, “Spring ahead, fall back.”

It’s also a good time to check the batteries in your smoke detector.

“If you have a traditional nine-volt battery, we recommend that you change the battery twice a year,” said Bath Township Fire Chief Joe Kitchen.

“Not only do we want you to change the battery, but we want you to look on the back and see what the manufacture date is,” he said. “Ten years is the max limit on most types of smoke alarms, smoke detectors,” Kitchen added.

If you can’t afford a smoke detector, the American Red Cross has partnered with the local fire departments in our area to provide free smoke alarms for any resident.

All you have to do is call 844-207-4509.

“They will set up a date and a time to come to your home. They will install up to three smoke detectors, free of charge, and these are nice units with ten-year lithium ion batteries and will help you put them in the appropriate places and take care of the labor. You don’t have to be climbing up on ladders or using power tools or anything like that. The program includes all of that,” he said.

Having a working smoke detector can be the difference between life and death.

“In the event of a fire, you may have only one or two minutes to escape. So the earlier that you’re notified of a fire, it can give you time to get out immediately,” he said.

This is also a good time of the year to also think about furnace/heater safety.

“We recommend that annually you have a licensed and certified HVAC technician check your heating system to make sure everything is in proper working order,” he said.

“Space heaters are for temporary use only to take a little bit of chill out of a room while you’re in it. Never walk out of a room with a space heater running. Never use an extension cord with a space heater. Make sure that your space heater has tip over protection.

“The most important thing about space heaters is [keep the heater] three feet away in all directions from anything combustible and that’s draperies, bedding, laundry, clothes, furniture, anything that could possibly ignite,” Kitchen said.